Faith and the Bat
by Darkl26139
Summary: Faith ends up in Gotham and finds more than she bargained for. Reviews are great for motivation. Thanks to Anne McSommers my Beta. Finally finished. Sorry for the long delay.
1. Chapter 1

**Faith and the Bat**

Faith still can't believe she let Giles talk her into coming to Gotham. She has been in hell dimensions, which were both cleaner and safer. Still, a werewolf definitely falls into their realm of responsibility. Unlike Oz, this critter seems to enjoy ripping his victims apart. It has had several encounters with the Gotham PD, all of which ended badly for the boys in blue. She has tracked it to a tower in Gotham's main bridge. The bridge is a massive gothic granite structure with several towers supporting guide cables all along its length. The werewolf has made its lair in the third tower on the north side of the bridge which is about half way across. It chose its lair well. There is no way for her to approach undetected, and she will be forced to fight amongst the cables. A fall to the road below would only stun the beast, but do considerably more damage to her. She hates to admit it, but she will have to wait. She paces hoping to take the edge off her frustration.

Bruce has tracked his wayward friend to the Gotham Bridge. Checking his dispenser once again, he silently prays Lucuis got it right. If this doesn't work, Bruce will have to do something he truly doesn't want to. It is times like these when he wonders what madness processed him to take on the mantle of the Bat. He could do good in a different way as just plain Bruce Wayne. He doesn't let himself dwell though. He has made his choice and now only the mission matters, or so he tells himself.

Hand over hand, Bruce easily scales one of the bridge cables up to the top. He glides through the shadows as if born to them. So silent is he, his prey fails to detect him. However, all his stealth is wasted when a young woman struts out onto the bridge whistling and shouting "Here boy, here boy. Mamma's got a bone for you." This mad woman is going to ruin his plan and get herself killed in the process. Bruce is forced back deeper into the shadows as his furry friend is lured from his lair by the noise.

The werewolf sniffs the air, while emitting a low growl. As a predator he can recognize another approaching. Despite her taunts, he starts to make his way away from her. She ups the ante by drawing her own blood. Once he inhales that smell, he is drawn to her. Blood is life and her life is strong. He has taken down bigger prey, she will be no different. Still, his keenly honed survival instincts warn him a direct strike is not best. He lopes down a cable keeping enough to the shadows to avoid her graze. His claws have no difficulty gripping the cold iron of the bridge as he swings underneath. She is still focused on his lair and that will cost her.

Faith is getting annoyed. She thought for sure the shallow cut on her arm would do the trick, but now she can just make it out clinging to the shadows near the top of the tower. Something about the shadow is off, but she is too annoyed to notice. Lack of patience has always been a weakness of hers, and it nearly costs her throat as her prey roars out of the dark behind her. His teeth drawing thin beads of blood, as she narrowly manages to pull her throat out of his jaws.

"_Shit. There are two of them. How could I miss that? Great here comes the other one._" Faith rolls to one side to avoid being trapped between the two werewolves but is surprised to see the second one has wings. It glides between her and the werewolf. An all too human voice orders and there is no doubt it is an order "Stay here. Run only when I tell you."

"Bugger that!" Faith replies as she leaps her would be defender placing herself between the werewolf and him.

"I will handle this. You don't know what you are dealing with." The winged figure tells her more forcefully. His gloved hand grabs her shoulder and tries to pull her back out of harms way.

"Paws off!" Faith snaps as she throws his hand off her. Having had enough of this, she rounds on him and quips "I have been house breaking dogs like this since I was a teen so you back off."

Hoping to take advantage of his prey's distraction, the werewolf pounces at her, but she is prepared this time. She drops below his attack although his teeth catch a bit of her hair and then throws a powerful punch into his chest which sends him flying. He lands hard and needs a moment for his rib cage to reform before he can rise.

"No." Bruce shouts as he sees the ruined chest of his friend. Relief floods him when he sees the bones reform. "_The drug is even more effective than Lucius thought. If they can over come these side effects, Lex Corp might just have something_." Raising his dispenser he fires only to have his shot ruined by the young woman running into the path. She takes the dart in the middle of her back and to his amazement stays on her feet a full 30 seconds before the drug drags her to pavement. Firing a second dart, Bruce subdues his friend just before his friends jaws close on his arm. "Don't worry boy. We can fix this." He says as he pets his former companion. Taking out his remote control, he summons his vehicle. Intrigued at who this young woman is, and unable to just leave her on the side of the bridge, he loads her into the car but gives the front seat to his companion.

Pulling into the Batcave, he is pleased to see Lucius waiting for him. With his help, they load the transformed Ace into the medical chamber. As Lucius starts the process they hope will return Ace to normal, Bruce gently lifts the young woman from his car. He places her on a cot he keeps in the cave. He does a quick search but only finds a few hundred dollars in cash on her and a cell phone. No license or other id. The cell phone is locked but Bruce decides not to hack into just yet. Still, he wants to learn more about his new guest before she wakes so he starts a facial recognition search. He is surprised to get a response quickly. Reviewing the file, he learns his guest is named Faith Lehane and was incarcerated for murder but received a special pardon for her release. Despite having learned her name and other useful data, he can't pull up much else about her. She is a ghost otherwise. Intrigued, he redesigns the search program and sets it running. He is pulled from his research when he notices Alfred standing just behind his chair patiently waiting for him to be acknowledged. "Yes?" Bruce asks.

"I cleaned the blood from her neck but found no trace of a wound. She stirred while I worked which leads me to believe she will wake shortly. I suspect she will be hungry so I am going up to the manor to prepare a meal for her. I will bring yours and Lucius' down at the same time. " Alfred calmly reports.

"Thank you Alfred." Bruce replies while smiling to himself. He knows he wouldn't be able to find his socks without Alfred.

The drugs in that dart should have kept Faith out for another full day but Bruce trusts Alfred's instincts so he stops working and heads over to where the cot sits. Sure enough she is moaning and slowly fighting her way back to consciousness.

Faith slowly regains consciousness. She remembers a small pin prick just before blacking out and a winged figure. Fearing she may be in some demon's lair, she tenses her muscles and leaps from where she is lying. She is surprised to see the winged figure calmly watching her from a nearby catwalk. Taking in her surroundings she can see she is in a cave of some sort which has metal platforms attached all around its walls. She sees 3 ways out: an elevator, a set of stone stairs, and a tunnel. At the mouth of the tunnel sits a truly awesome looking car. "So what is going on here? You and fluffy old pals or something?" she quips trying to casual move towards the stairs while mentally preparing to make a jump for the tunnel.

"He wasn't always a monster. Someone made him into one. I owed it to him to help turn him back." Bruce replies in his gravelly voice.

"Sorry you can't cure being a werewolf. Once you turn that is it. Oh shit." Faith cuts off as her hand finds it way to her throat as the memory of him drawing blood resurfaces. "_I am so screwed._"

"Don't worry you will be fine. Your wounds have already healed." he tells her.

"Until the next full moon, then I get to go all furry." she snips back clearly freaking out at the realization she is now a werewolf like Oz. She can barely control herself as a human. She knows she will have no chance of mastering the wolf the way Oz has.

"What attacked you was not a werewolf. Just a poor animal victim of a madman." he tells her. He pulls something from his belt and tosses it to her. Instinctively she catches it. Opening her hand she sees it is a small silver coin. "If you had been turned, wouldn't that burn you?" he adds.

He has a point she realizes. Oz couldn't go near silver. "So if I am not turning into something like fluffy, what am I doing here?"

"Eating would be my suggestion." an older gentleman carrying a food and drink laden tray into the room.

"_He must have come from the elevator. How many people are down here?_" "Thanks but I am not hungry" she replies but her stomach betrays her lie by growling at that moment. A slayer is never truly ever full.

Meeting her eyes, Bruce pulls a sandwich off the tray and takes a bite. He chews and swallows before extending his arm offering her the rest of the sandwich.

Looking more than a bit offended, the older gentleman says "I would never poison anyone miss."

Between the older man's words/reaction and the winged one's show of good faith, Faith feels safe enough to grab a fresh sandwich and a soda.

She scarfs the sandwich so quickly the older gentleman quips "Perhaps you would like to taste the next one?"

She smirks at that remark. Her gut tells her to trust the old guy. The other she is not so sure about. Although he didn't take advantage of her when she was out. As far as she can tell, he didn't even sneak a peak, which she is mildly offended he didn't. She has always prided herself on how men desire her. She comforts herself with thought that he could be gay. _"I mean look at how he dresses. He has to be into some weird shit."_ "So what is the deal with all this?" she inquires between bites from her second sandwich.

"I am Batman. I protect the citizens of Gotham." Bruce replies calmly.

"Hero huh. What are you some type of demon or just crazy?" she quips as she starts on her third sandwich.

Alfred chuckles quietly and with dignity that only English Butlers can manage and even Bruce has to smile. "Someone had to." Bruce replies.

"Well cool. I save the world too. Vampires are my specialty, but I can kill just about anything supernatural. So unless you want to swap save the world stories I think I am going to jet." she remarks.

"You have to understand I can't let you walk out of here" He pauses, seeing her tense and take up a fighting stance. "But I would be happy to drop you at your hotel. I will require you to wear this" He says holding up a motorcycle helmet with the visor blacked out. "though. I am sure you understand the importance of secrets." he replies. He is intrigued with this young woman. She reminds him a lot of himself. He can see the barely contained fury in her. She lives for battle.

"I guess that's five by five. After all if you were going to cop a feel, you already had your chance." She snarks back as she extends her hand for the helmet. "I am staying" she starts to say but he cuts her off.

"The Gotham Arms is well past its prime and the narrows is not a safe place for decent people these days." he tells her only partly to show off his knowledge of her. There is a nagging feeling of protectiveness he is feeling towards her.

"Well I blew my entire superhero budget on these bitching flying boots, so it is what I can afford at the moment. Besides I am a big girl who can take care of herself." She banters. She finds this Batman very interesting. Judging from the way the suit hugs his body, he is one seriously chiseled guy. The fact he is mysterious and a bit of the bad boy only makes him more appealing. She shoves these thoughts aside as she is still peeved at him messing up her job. Suddenly remembering why she is in Gotham in the first place, she says "Oh before I go. I got check on wolf boy. I understand protecting your friend, but I gotta make sure he is not a threat."

"Fair enough. Wait here a moment." Batman replies. He then glides down to a lower platform. There he speaks briefly with Lucius and then gets Lucius out of sight. She has already seen Alfred, he can't risk her learning any more about him. He really should make Alfred wear a mask or something whenever there is company in the cave.

Faith paces on the catwalk as waiting has never been a strong suite of hers. She does try to call Giles, but her phone gets no reception in here. Giles won't start to worry for another day or so anyway, so she still has time to check in.

"This way." Batman gestures to a set of stairs that connect the various catwalks.

Not wanting to be out done, Faith just jumps down to the platform. She is pleased to see Batman reevaluating his opinion of her. "Hey, it is no big. I told you I have super powers." She quips.

"_Accelerated healing, high drug tolerance, impressive strength and agility, super powers indeed. He could do so much more with those abilities. Yes, Faith bares watching."_ He thinks.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Faith is surprised to see a large dog sleeping peacefully in a clear plastic cage. There is some sort of gas in the chamber with the dog.

"The gas is reversing the genetic modification the drug he was injected with caused. He should be back to normal in a few days." Batman tells her, as he unconsciously puts his hand on the cage.

"_So the dog means something to him. Interesting. He can't be all bad if he went through so much trouble for his pooch."_ she thinks. "I will need to check him in a few days then to make sure. I will catch hell if he turns again and I didn't take care of it." she explains.

"He is not the problem. The fact that there are more like him out there is. Somewhere in Gotham there is a lab turning strays into monsters. I sent Ace out as bait hoping I could trace them, but the transmitter hidden on him was destroyed. All I got was a general area, but I haven't been able to follow up since he was running amok. I will make you a deal. If you help me with the leg work, you can stay here until you are certain Ace is no longer a threat." Batman offers. Internally he wonders why he is so willing to risk allowing her to stay, but when he searches his thoughts he realizes he means it.

Looking around the cave, she replies "I am not a big of caves, but your friend makes a mean roast beef sandwich, so as long as he keeps the food coming you got a deal."

"Agreed." he says as he offers his hand. She shakes and is pleased to see him not grunt when she squeezes a bit too hard. She has always respected strength.

Later that night in the Mansion

"Are you sure it is wise to keep her in the cave?" Alfred inquires very curious as to why Master Bruce is acting so out of character. Normally, Master Bruce is very standoffish and security conscious to the point of paranoia. "_Perhaps he is missing Master Dick's companionship more than I realized. It would do him good to acknowledge he needs other people."_ thinks Alfred.

"She is good in a fight and I need to keep an eye on her." Bruce replies. The fact he was mentally planning a training schedule for her, and wondering how she would look in red and yellow isn't worth mentioning.

"So a new Robin candidate?" Alfred comments, perceptive as ever.

Chuckling at his friend, no father, Bruce replies "We'll see."

Faith isn't sleepy, so she spends the night exploring the cave. Batman took precautions to keep her out of certain areas as the elevator, stairway, and tunnel are locked. Still she doesn't mind so much. That nice old guy, Alfred, brought her more food including several wonderful things made with lots of chocolate. He even showed her how to work one of the monitors so she can watch TV. As for her cot, he brought a few extra pillows and blankets down for her. He even surprised her by laying out several different sets of clean clothes. Although she suspects whoever Batman is out of the mask, he does ok with the ladies so it is not that surprising there are clothes just lying around.

She spends some of her energy working out in Batman's gym. He has everything even training weapons. She suspects the real weapons are locked in that massive vault in the corner. Sweaty from her workout she goes to the bathroom, which has a sauna built in. She worries a bit about showering as she noticed camera all through out the cave, but her wilder side just hopes the Bat enjoys the show if he is watching.

Studying his monitors, Bruce is even more impressed by the physical abilities of Faith. Her reflexes are at least twice his and she benched 500lbs like it was nothing. She has some training, but it is pretty basic by his standards. Also, her style lacks subtly. All sorts of possibilities flash through his mind as he studies her further.

The next morning Faith wakes to the smell of bacon and eggs. She jumps up and follows her nose to the platform from which the smells are coming. There is a table with 2 place settings. On one plate is an ample healthy breakfast like Buffy would eat, on the next is a massive pile of scrambled eggs with ham with a side plates piled high with bacon, sausage, toast, and pancakes with strawberries and cream. She sits down in front of the massive pile of food. She looks around for a moment before she spots Alfred and Bats talking on a platform higher up. It is the platform that holds Batman's massive computer system that Willow would sell her right arm to get her hands on.

Feeling her stare, Bruce turns to look down at her. "Go ahead and eat. We may be a bit." he says.

"It is awful rude to make your guest eat alone." Alfred politely points out. Alfred loves when they have company, as he can force Bruce to eat at regular intervals and even at a table.

Admitting defeat, Bruce gets up from the computer console and makes his way down to the food table. He sits at the healthy breakfast and starts to eat while ignoring the smile of triumph on Alfred's face.

"Thanks for the spread." Faith says to Alfred. Although she wishes he wouldn't hover off to one side. She hates the idea of anyone being a servant even if Alfred seems to like his job.

"My pleasure. It is nice to cook for someone who appreciates good food." he replies.

The ways Bats shifts in his seat makes it clear who Alfred was ribbing, so Faith allows herself a small laugh. She really likes this old guy. He is like a cool Giles. Thinking of Giles, she realizes she should check in before he sends a squad after her. "After breakfast, can I use a phone? I need to check in." she asks between mouthfuls of eggs.

"Since you brought it up, do you mind sharing some details about your group?" Bruce asks instead of his usual demand.

"Well, the short version is my friends and I hunt monsters and save the world. I work with a guy named Giles for serves as sort of a guide. He is the king of research let me tell you." she explains hoping it will be enough for now.

"What about your abilities? How did you get them?" he asks deciding to not push for a more specific answer to his previous question.

"I am a slayer. I was chosen. One day ordinary girl the next super powered. It was no picnic let me tell you, but I adapted. I don't think I would have been happy being a "normal" kid." answers Faith.

Making a mental note to research Slayers, Bruce answers her question "I will unlock the phone by the computer terminal. I would appreciate it if you kept any details about me between us for the moment."

"Five by five. I just don't want Giles worrying." is her reply.

"After your call, we can review my research so we can form a plan for tonight." Batman remarks.

"Planning isn't exactly my strength but I will do what I can." Faith replies.

"Hey Giles. Just called to let you know things are five by five. The werewolf wasn't a real one. Some sicko is mutating dogs. I am going to stay in Gotham till I track him down. We don't need a mad scientist running around loose. Yes, I will call if I need back up. Money, naw I am good. Staying with a friend to cut down expenses. Later." Faith fires off before Giles can get too many questions out. She never likes the 3rd degree that always is a part of their conversations.

The rest of the afternoon is spent pouring over Bruce's research. Faith has good instincts, but she lacks confidence in them. Bruce gets the impression her instincts failed her somehow. Still, she points out several useful things that he had already noted, but he pretends to not have to boost her confidence.

After several hours, Faith is practically jumping out of her skin. The Bat sure knows his stuff. He could definitely give Giles a run for his money in the research department. Although in fairness to Giles, he doesn't have all these gizmos.

Noticing her pacing and increasingly twitchy behavior, Bruce suggests "Are you up to a sparring match. I always like to know how anyone I am working with handles themselves."

"Sure" Faith says a bit quickly. She has been dying to know how Bats can fight. She bets he will be way better than Riley was.

He guides her to a training matt. Their match starts off slow with basic moves, more to get a feel for each other than anything else. Bruce ups the tempo gradually pushing her harder and harder. Despite her physical advantages, he is still landing blows. Her style is too much fury and power. She needs more focus he notes.

Faith totally underestimated Batman. She expected him to better than Riley, but not this good. He is not only matching her, but he is winning. He could have taken her down at least 3 times she saw, and she suspects there were others she missed. She thought she was well trained but this guy blends martial arts in ways she never dreamed off. Her pride is definitely taking a hit, and she is getting more and more frustrated. Finally her pride drives her to stop holding back and brute force her way through his defenses. Much to her surprise, it is her that winds up flat on her back and not him. Her slayer strength and reflexes were not enough to overcome his skill.

"Stay down till you calm down. I don't want to hurt you. You fight well, but you need more training. There is too much uncontrolled fury in your style. We need to focus that. I can teach how to." he remarks as he steps to the side of the sparring ring. He fights the urge to rub his side where her punch landed. Even with the armor he knows he will have one hell of bruise. Very impressive, as his latest armor can stop a 12 gage slug at point blank range.

Several deep calmly breathes later; Faith has regained enough control to say "Sorry, blood got a bit hot. Been cooped up to long." Her pride wants to deny he beat her, but she knows he did. She will have to take him up on his offer for a few pointers. The fight has stirred up other urges as well, so she tries her luck. She saunters over to him while gliding her hands down her body in the pretext of straightening her clothes, but knowing this particular move drives most boys nuts. She leans in to kiss him, but he stops her just short of their lips meeting.

"Go cool off." he tells her as he points to the shower. She is very attractive young woman, and it's not like Bruce has ever been opposed to purely physical relationships, so why does he hold back from her? After their sparring match he can imagine she would be a wild cat in bed, but he is not even aroused by her. He just doesn't see her that way. "So how do I see her?" he ponders before an update on his screen distracts him. It seems Faith's idea to look for large dog food purchases just paid off. A warehouse on the water in his search area, just ordered a large amount. It bears checking out tonight.

Frustrated, but impressed he was able to resist her she sways her way to the shower. To get even a bit for turning her down, she strips where she knows he can see her. Her pride takes a bigger hit to find he is not even looking. He is back up at the computer console of his. Settling for cold water, Faith does her best to calm down. Hopefully tonight will help relieve her itch.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

They breach the warehouse perimeter easily. Climbing onto the warehouse roof, they make their way over to a series of skylights. Looking in, it's clear they are in the right place. Several dozen dogs bark from their cages at one end of the building while a group of scientists work at lab tables at the other end. Batman is impressed at how easily Faith has managed to keep up with him. She is nearly as silent as he is. Very impressive. He does detect a bit of standoffishness, which he suspects is resentment for turning down her earlier offer. She'll get over that.

Faith wouldn't ever admit it, but she has had to work hard to keep up with Bat. In that suit she expected him to be fairly noisy, but he moves like a ghost. She is starting to wonder if he really is human under that costume. "Plan?" she whispers.

"You stay here and push this" he says handing her a small box with a button. "if you see trouble. I am going in for a closer look." he tells her as he lifts open one of the skylights after disabling the alarm wire.

"Oh hell no. You don't get me all worked up and leave me hanging twice in one day. I say we go in kick some butt and takes some names." she counters.

"These are the small fish. We need the big fish or this will just start up again somewhere else." he tells her. "When it is time to "kick butt" you can lead the way." he promises.

"You owe me something serious." she quips slowly warming to Batman. His gruff attitude reminds her of herself but he has a confidence she envies. Perhaps she can learn a few things from him.

"I am sure I can think of something." he replies before gliding into the warehouse. He lands on a support beam and flows from shadow to shadow working his way closer to the scientists. He is just about where he wants to be when a commotion above him draws his attention.

"Freeze." Faith hears behinds her as she kicks herself for letting her guard down. She was just so amazed at watching Bat make his way through the warehouse support beams. Not she or even Buffy can move that way.

Turning to face her attackers, she sees it is two rent-a-cops. "Fella's just relax. This will only hurt for a minute." she quips before she grabs the gun pointed at her and uses it to flip the guard up and over her. Her foot snaps out to catch the other guard in the chest. Unfortunately, she hears glass breaking behind her. She turns to see the guard she flipped crash through the window behind her. Cursing as she thought she threw him clear of the window, she rushes to try and grab him but is just a second to late. "No!" she screams as her fingers close over empty air. Without hesitation she dives after him determined not to have another human death on her conscious.

Bruce sees the guard fall through the window. The idiot had gotten up from where Faith had thrown him and tried to cross the window to get to her. He is impressed to see Faith dive after him, but it also creates a bigger problem as the whole place is now aware of her presence. Suppressing his annoyance, Bruce fires on grapple line around the falling guard which he anchors on the beam he is standing on. He then fires another which he uses to swing out and catch Faith.

"Thanks. That landing would have hurt." she says as she clings to him. It is kind of fun to swing across the warehouse. They land on a support beam above the dog cages. Gunfire follows them.

Shielding her as best as he can, Bruce searches for a way out. He doubts they could make it through a skylight without drawing fire. Even covered by smoke, Faith is likely to be hit, and killed since she is not wearing armor. He should have insisted she wear some but this was supposed to be just recon. "Here is the plan. I will throw down a smoke screen and make it seems like we are going for that skylight over there. You will slide down to the floor and make for that door behind us." Bruce explains while using his body language to lead any observers to believe they are going for the skylight. "Now." he shouts as he throws smoke pellets through out the warehouse and fires a grapple through the skylight. As he hoped, gunfire targets the skylight.

Faith is not real thrilled about taking orders but she reluctantly obeys. She jumps down and runs for the side door. Just as she reaches the door, a goon opens it from the outside. He is with two others. Faith, knowing she only has a split second, dives through the door. In these close quarters, they can't risk using their guns and it is easy for her to make short work of them. Unfortunately, the last guy's gun goes off and hits a machine inside the warehouse. The click of cages opening announces the release of dozens of drug enhanced dogs charging anything living. Several guards and scientists go down screaming as they are ripped to pieces.

From his vantage point, Bruce can see the chaos erupt when the cages open. He throws all the sleep gas pellets he has at the dogs hoping to slow them. He then rescues as many of the scientists and guards as possible. He leaves those he rescues hanging onto the beam for dear life. He is glad Faith got out, so he doesn't have to worry about her. He even manages to grab a few files and a flash drive that scientist traded for his rescue.

Later

He tours the ruined lab,lab; his frustrations clear on his face. The lead scientist in charge of this mess waits nervously for him to say something. He meets the scientist's eyes as he pronounces "You have failed me for the last time." The poor man doesn't even have time to scream before the arrow pierces his brain. "_Another set back! They were so close! I was sure they would be able to beat the side effects!"_ "Clean this up and get the fall back lab up and running. You have twenty four hours." he announces to the new lead scientist. He is pleased to see the man swallow as he eagerly nods his acknowledgement.

Bruce is up late into the morning reading the materials recovered from the lab. He is disturbed to find indications that this is a military project. He can't be 100% sure, because he only has pieces and whoever they are, they covered their tracks well. It is only the style of organization and approach to record keeping that hints at military. It never ceases to amaze him how much he learns just from his foe's style. Alfred appears at his side just as the sun is breaking the clouds.

"Our guest is most upset." he comments.

So wrapped up in his research, Bruce had stopped paying attention to what Faith was doing. Reviewing his mental notes, he replies "She is just working out some frustration. Last night didn't go as either of us hoped."

"I beg to differ, sir. I caught the words "failure, nearly happened again, stupid". All clear indications she is upset about her performance last night. Add the fact you haven't said two words to her since you got back; she has to assume she failed. Perhaps a few words of encouragement might be in order?" Alfred suggests.

Bruce looks up at Alfred and nods. He gets up and makes his way down to where, Faith is still brutalizing his workout equipment. He notes that one of his large punching bags has been snapped off its chain support, several weights have been thrown, and a rather thick barbell bent into a bowtie shape. Her strength is truly impressive, but also dangerous. He needs to get her to focus her power more productively.

"Don't say it. I know I screwed up." she says as she leans against another punch bag with her face away from him. She knows she got lucky last night. If not for Batman, she would have taken another human life. Maybe she shouldn't be allowed out in the world.

"Even I get surprised sometimes." Bruce offers feeling surprisingly forgiving.

"If you hadn't saved him, that guy would have been splattered all over the place. I should have been more careful when I threw him." she replies with guilt clear in her voice.

Understanding dawning on him, Bruce replies "That wasn't your fault. That idiot tried to cross the window. In fact, I was impressed at how you dived after him. I imagine even with your gifts a fall from that height would have hurt. It was very brave thing to do."

"No it wasn't. I just didn't want another to die because of my mistake." she says turningsays turning to face him. "I killed someone once. I was in a fight with some vamps and I stabbed him without checking. I let myself get lost in the bloodlust. After that mistake, I made several others trying to run from it. I will get my stuff. " she confesses.

"I have made my share of mistakes. Mistakes that have cost people that I love their lives." he shares as he remembers Rachael's smile.

Faith can see his pain when she meets his eyes. He really does understand. There is none of that "I am better than you" crap that she used to get from Buffy and the gang. He just gets it. She closes with him and he wraps her in a hug. She finds tears running down her cheeks, as long buried emotions seep out. She feels him push back from her a bit. She looks up anticipating a kiss on the lips as this is how it normally goes with the men in her life, but he surprises her again by kissing her forehead. It feels surprisingly nice for a man to just hold her and not lead to other things. While she enjoys other things, they are often empty moments like the mistake she made with Xander. She hurt that poor boy deeply just so she could hide for a few minutes.

Bruce just stands there holding Faith. She is so much like a young version of him so full of pain, regret and guilt. He silently vows to help her find her path. "I know all about your past. I researched you. It is time I leveled the playing field." he tells her as he removes his mask.

Honored by the amount of trust he is showing her so soon after their first meeting, she anxiously wonders who is behind the mask. She nearly falls over dead when she sees it is the playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne. This guy is the worst sort of spoiled rich kid. He just can't be the Bat. Her mind struggles to grasp this reality. "No way!" she blurts out.

"Glad to see my ruse is effective." he kids then he actually laughs at Faith still standing there in total shock.

Up in the manor, Faith is enjoying a tour with Alfred while Bruce gets some sleep. "This is so cool. I don't suppose he would adopt me?" she beams

"I think he is considering offering you a partnership. He sees great potential in you and you remind him of himself as a youth." Alfred points out in his grandfatherly way.

Faith stops, thinks for a moment, and then replies "Umm I kind of have a gig already. This slayer thing isn't something I get to opt out of."

"I am sure we can work something out." Alfred replies as he guides her through another room.

After a few Alfred insisted upon hours of rest, Bruce cleans up and goes to find Faith. He is please to find her chatting comfortably with Alfred and not at all surprised to see her eating again. Apparently, a super appetite is among her abilities. He wonders if she will let him test her blood. Perhaps there is a way to duplicate her abilities. Suddenly pieces click into place causing Bruce to rush back down to the Batcave. Calling up his notes on the substance in Ace's blood, he reviews the irregularities he found. One in particularly resembled human blood but was just a bit different. "Could it be, Lex Corp is using Slayer's in its experiments?" he wonders.

Faith and Alfred stop their conversation when Bruce runs off somewhere. They follow with Alfred explaining "He does this. You get used to it." Faith watches clueless as information flashes across the monitors.

"I need some of your blood." Bruce commands without looking at her.

"Excuse me?" Faith quips back.

"I need a sample. Now." he pasusespauses seeing the look Alfred is giving him. "Please, it is important."

"Ok" Faith replies, despite still having no idea what is going on. Un-wrapping a fresh needle as he approaches, Alfred expertly draws a small sample of her blood which he then passes to a very anxious Bruce.

Bruce places a drop on a slide and inserts into the computer for analyst. As he suspected it fits the unidentified blood sample. "Lex Corp is using slayer blood in their monster formula. Any idea how they got their hands on it?" he asks.

"No clue, but maybe Giles has an idea. He will want to know anyway. It wouldn't be the first time someone tried to use us." she remarks. Her anger clear in her voice.

Confused, Bruce pauses "My research indicated there is ever only one slayer at a time?"

"That used to be true ,buttrue, but then a witch friend did some major mojo to activate all the potentials so we could fight a big back. Now there are thousands of us. Giles and crew find and train as many as we can find." she explains.

"Perhaps a face to face conversation is in order. Would Giles be willing to come to Gotham?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Giles is concerned about Faith's new friend. From his own inquiries, there is still much debate about exactly whose side Batman is on. While Giles isn't upset by Batman's rather drastic and dramatic methods, he is concerned if Batman still knows where the line between hero and monster is drawn. Also, he worries for Faith. She is so desperately trying to find her place. It is all too easy for people to take advantage of her. He hopes this won't be another mistake, like she made with the mayor.

As he exits the plane, he is surprised to see someone he never expected to see again standing by a black limo waiting for him. "Alfred Pennyworth?" he says in disbelief.

"Good to see you again, Rupert. Shall we talk on the way?" Alfred replies as he opens the door for Giles.

Climbing into the car, Giles' is stunned to see his father's old friend here. _"What is his involvement with Batman?"_ Giles wonders, deciding to view Alfred's involvement as a good sign. After all, if not for Alfred's help, he wouldn't have survived his "Ripper" days. His thoughts drift back to that night. He lay tied to the alter when his father and Alfred burst through the door. His father struggled with one cultist, but Alfred just wadded through anyone who faced him. Back then Alfred was in top fighting shape. Giles remembers Alfred was some sort of Special Forces, but he never knew exactly what Alfred did. If not for his help, Giles would have been sacrificed for sure. Sadly, that was not the night Giles learned his lesson and mended his ways but it was the first step. He owes a great debt to Alfred. "Care to enlighten me on what Faith is mixed up in this time?" he asks.

"She is an impressive young lady, much like a youth or two I have known over the years. Headstrong, overconfident, and insecure, in need of proper guidance. Sound familiar?" Alfred quires.

Rubbing his glasses, Giles replies "I never forgot what you did for me that night. I regret I didn't learn more that night."

"The young often need time." Alfred kindly replies. "As to the current situation, I think Batman is exactly what Miss Faith needs right now. He has mentored several lost souls and helped them find their way. Frankly, I would like to see him with some company." he continues.

"I value your opinion, but I will make my own decision. I have heard mixed about Batman. The last thing Faith needs is another hurt. Now, as to why I was asked to fly in. Is it true he found Slayer blood in this monster formula?" Giles says. He is deeply concerned that someone has gotten a hold of a slayer to experiment on. The poor girls have enough troubles without being turned into lab rats.

As the limo makes its way outside of Gotham, Giles notices the windows darken but before he can comment, Alfred says "You must understand Batman requires a certain amount of secrecy."

"Understandable." Giles agrees. He wishes Buffy was a more than a bit lower profile. The rest of the ride Giles spends lost in his own thoughts.

When the car stops and Alfred opens the door, Giles finds himself in a large cave complex. An impressive amount of equipment is spread amongst several metal platforms. Faith wraps him in a hug before he can see more. "Giles, isn't this place totally crazy." she quips.

After waiting for the air to return to his lungs as Faith's enthusiasm overrode her awareness of her strength, he replies "Quite."

"This way." Alfred directs as he guides Giles and Faith up a set of metal stairs to a platform with a full lab on it. Batman is there studying a slide under a microscope.

"Thank you for coming. Take a look at this. Do you recognize this sample? Can you confirm my suspicion?" Batman asks as Giles peers into the microscope.

Giles' throat catches as he sees the cells on the slide. "I recognized the sample because I spent several months studying it. It is a sample of Buffy's blood. Since the last time she returned from the dead, her tissues were slightly altered from before. All my research showed that the difference was minor and she was still who she used to be. This sample is from before she died that last time. I can think of only one group who would have enough of her blood to work with: The Initiative." he explains.

"I thought you took those guys down?" Faith asks.

"Their base in Sunnydale was destroyed, but not all the staff was killed. Perhaps, I can contact Riley to see if he can learn anything." he muses.

"So military." Batman guesses.

"I am sorry. The Initiative was a secret government project which was trying to turn demons into controllable weapons. They were also working on a super soldier serum. Based on what Faith told me and this blood sample, I would say they are back in business." Giles explains.

"That supports my research so far as well. The lab we raided the other night was very careful in not leaving any hard evidence as to who was funding them, but I suspect Lex Corp is involved. Lex Corp has been running black op projects for decades. A friend shut down several in Metropolis, which is why I think they popped up here in Gotham. I don't have any proof yet so any sources you can turn to would be helpful. I can arrange for a hotel along with a work space." Batman offers.

"I was hoping to stay with Faith." Giles asks probing for information.

"You are better off at the hotel. This cave isn't the Ritz." Faith snarks.

"You're staying here?" Giles asks. Looking around he notices a cot surrounded by Faith's few belongings.

"Well." she remarks as she tries to figure out what to say.

Batman saves her by answering "She is my student. It is part of her training. Don't worry, she is no prisoner."

"What exactly do you intend to teach her?" Giles inquires in a protective manner.

"She has great power and passion. I hope to teach her how to better focus those gifts in a productive manner." Batman replies. He is pleased to hear the hostility and suspicion in Giles' tone, as Giles questions him. Giles must think highly of her, if he is defending her. Alfred had filled him in on what he knew of Giles.

"Hey, I am still in the room, well, cave." Faith pipes up.

They both ignore her, simply engaging in that time honored male ritual of a stare contest. Surprisingly, Batman breaks the contest first by suggesting "We should focus on why you are here. Call your contact and then we will compare notes."

Nodding, Giles moves to the phone Alfred provides him. After leaving the code message, he hangs up and waits for Riley to call back. It takes 20 minutes which is odd as Riley normally calls back faster than that but Giles doesn't think on it much. After all, he doesn't even know what time zone Riley is in.

"Riley isn't aware of a new project, but he wasn't surprised that they were trying to restart the research. He is going to see what he can learn and get back to me." Giles tells Faith and Batman. He is still unsettled about his conversation with Riley. Riley was standoffish, but given how things ended between Riley and Buffy Giles isn't that surprised. Still Gile's gut is telling him Riley knows more than he was saying.

"In the meantime, I have located another potential site we should check out. Going with the assumption this is a black op, I checked some of my sources in those areas. A facility was just brought on line here the day after we raided the other lab." Batman explains.

"Not much to go on. A bit reckless to just dive in without a proper plan" Giles points out.

Warming to Giles for showing such caution, Bruce replies "I always have a plan." He then pulls up the blueprints he obtained and starts laying out his plan.

Faith is sweating in the body armor but is surprised at how comfortable it is. She is glad Bats didn't make her wear the cowl and cape. Following behind Bats, she jumps the fence rather than scaling it as he did and then runs up the climbing line remembering to pull the cord up behind her as she goes. She does all this without making a sound she is proud to note. Batman doesn't comment, but that in of its self she is learning is a compliment. She won't allow a repeat of her previous outing to happen again.

Bruce is impressed at the improvement in Faith's focus. She is clearly taking this more seriously than the first time. He is proud to have had such an effect so soon.

This facility is a harder nut to crack as it is an old military bunker, but is far from the hardest place he has ever entered. Finding the access point is easy enough, and they make their way into facility's old foundry drainage system. With the steel production equipment not on line, it is safe to enter this way. If the equipment was on, super heated water would be vented out through here. Reaching the mainframe room, Bruce takes a different tack than stealing files. Instead he plants a monitoring device on their internet access which will trace any signals they send or receive. In addition he plants a few traditional bugs in various vents through out the facility. They don't go anywhere near the main lab area as Bruce didn't want to risk triggering any passive alarm systems. They don't need to know exactly what is going on in the labs, only who they are reporting too.

Tonight works out well. Bruce managed to plant all the devices he wanted to and he thinks Faith regained a bit of confidence. "You did good tonight." he offers making an attempt to offer praise and the positive reinforcement Dick always used to complain he didn't know the meaning of.

"Please this was a cake walk, with training wheels even." Faith quips but then pauses and continues "Thanks. I..I 'm not good at the whole praise thing."

"Neither am I" he confides. The each feel the moment but don't ruin it by trying to talk about it.

Later back at the cave:

"I heard back from Riley. He is on his way to Gotham. He was afraid to say much over the phone, but he wants to meet as soon as he lands." Giles explains giving Batman the location of the private airport Riley is flying into. Batman recognizes the airport immediately, it is one Lex Corp often uses for its shadier projects. This only further confirms the link to Lex Corp. "I suggest Faith remain behind as her and Riley were not on the best of terms."

Answering the look Bruce gives her, she pipes up "I sort of stole his girlfriend's body, had sex with him as her, and then tried to kill him. As I said I was royally messed up."

"Fair enough" Bruce replies. His wards have all had issues, but none as complex as Faith's. Helping her will go a long way to reassuring him one person can make a difference.

As soon as they pull up, Bruce's instincts are screaming at him. Something is not right here. Instructing Giles to wait by the car for a minute, he goes to scout ahead. He glides from shadow to shadow making his way up onto the only hanger building. From there he can see the whole field. As promised, a plane sits on the runway with a man matching the description of Riley pacing just outside of it. There is no sign of anyone else, not even a pilot. There should be a refueling truck or at the very least flight line personnel but there is no one. Clearly this is a trap. Not sure what to do about it, he ghosts back to Giles.

"If it is a trap then, Riley must be caught in it. Despite our differences I don't believe he would willingly set us up. Do you think we can get him out?" Giles asks.

"I am not sure. The plane is out in the open. There is no cover. The Batmobile can survive small arms fire but heavier weapons could penetrate its armor. The fact someone went to all this trouble means we are on the right track and that your friend knows something they don't want us too so I am willing to take the risk. Just in case, you should hide here. If it is a trap and I don't make it out, you need to escape and inform Faith and Alfred as to what happened."

"If I had some more time, I could call in some support." Giles muses.

Pressing a hidden switch on the side of the Batmobile causing a bizarre motorcycle to emerge from the rear of the vehicle, Batman says "From what Alfred told me of your youth, you should be able to handle this."

"It is has been a few years but I can manage." Giles replies

Deciding there is no point in stealth in this situation, Batman roars into the area with the Batmobile. He swings around and parks it between Riley and the jet trying to give Riley as much cover as possible. Opening just the passenger side panel Batman orders "Get in."

"So you are Batman. Impressive." Riley says while not moving any closer.

"Get in." Batman repeats certain now this is a trap.

"Where is Giles?" Riley asks.

"I came alone." Batman says.

"See you are a good liar. My perimeter team spotted you when you first arrived. They are greeting Giles right now. Him I need alive. You however." Riley says as he lobs a grenade into the batmobile and dives under the plane.

Bruce's reaction is nearly fast enough. The grenade makes it back outside the car before it detonates but shrapnel shreds the interior of the Batmobile. Bruce's armor saves his life but several pieces still find their way through weak points in the suit. Bleeding from dozens of places, he revs the Batmobile and tries to speed away. Several military vehicles are emerging from a concealed hatch in the ground. His damaged computer still manages to detect a missile locking on. The firer is standing next to the hanger. He has to pound the console but his flares do fire. One of them hitting the plane causing the missile to home in on the plane. The resulting explosion gives him some more cover. Heavy machine gun fire from the army humvee's is digging slowly through his armor but he is nearly clear of the airport. He doesn't bother running towards Giles, as he can't help him if he is dead. He can always circle back if he needs to. Pressing another control, he launches his tire destroying chains. One of the humvees hits the chains head on and flips as its tires suck up the chains locking them up. The humvee just behind manages to avoid the resulting crash but the third gets clipped and spins out.

Reaching the highway, Bruce guns the engine as much as he dares considering all the damage. The remaining humvee is slowly dropping back as it can't match his speed. However, since the road is deserted, the humvee keeps firing inflicting further damage to the Batmobile. Bruce hating the necessity of this spins the Batmobile and fires a grapple into the front of the humvee. The harpoon splits the engine block causing the humvee to go from 90 mph to 0 in less than a second. Bruce winces as he sees soldiers get thrown from the vehicle as its back end lifts up. Thinking himself clear, Bruce turns back to check on Giles.

Giles is not a slayer, or a highly trained crime fighter, but he is not helpless either. He takes the precaution of putting on the bike's helmet and keeping it ready to go. He doesn't start it as the noise would give him away. He watches stunned as he sees Riley dive under the plane and something explode next to the Batmobile. He is relieved to see it start to move off but concerned about the vehicles emerging from underground. He can't believe Riley would willingly set them up. Perhaps they are using his wife against him.

Lieutenant Green is certain their target is unaware of his Special Forces team circling him reading to strike. Their orders are to take him alive, but that doesn't mean they can't play with him a bit first. Just as his men jump down, their target throws something up into the air.

Giles will have to thank Willow for designing these threat detectors. They are limited in use, but in these circumstances gave Giles the warning that he was about to be attacked. Pulling another magic trick from his pocket he throws it up into the air. The resulting flashes and sounds should disorient anyone nearby. He guns the engine and the bike roars into the night. Unfortunately for Giles, one member of the ambush team had stayed back on over watch. He shoots the bikes large front tire removing a large chunk of the solid rubber tire. This throws off the bike's balance causing Giles to lose control. Another round into the frame knocks Giles over causing him to crash and slide across the ground. By the time he pulls himself out from under, the team is standing over him. One member kicks him a few times before hauling him clear. He then knocks Giles out with a blow to the head from his rifle butt.

As Bruce is turning back, his computer detects two aircraft approaching. It identifies them as Apache gunships. "Someone is pulling out all the stops this time." thinks Bruce as he tries to engage stealth mode. Unfortunately the car has taken too much damage for the system to work. Realizing he has no choice but to run, Bruce guns the engine and streaks across the open terrain. He hopes to make the nearby mountain so he can lose the copters. However, they waste no time in targeting him and the Batmobile is surrounded in explosions. Somehow Bruce manages to dodge any direct rocket hits, but several systems are now reading red. Never one to give up, Bruce decides on a new plan. Engaging the autopilot, he programs the car to head towards a ravine not far away. Next he fires his remaining flares to blind his pursuers for a minute while he ejects out the bottom. For a brief second he fears the rear tire will catch him but then he is clear. Bruce then runs flat out for 30 seconds before stopping dead near a tree. Pulling a metallic blanket from his belt, he engages a new stealth tech which masks his heat signature and mirrors the surrounding terrain. At night from far enough away he will be invisible. His injuries are starting to win out over his adrenaline rush so injects himself with stimulants to keep him on his feet. He waits a few minutes for the explosion he knows is coming. The Batmobile is programmed to swerve into the next rocket sent at it and then self destruct. The resulting explosion should eliminate anything leading back to Wayne Technologies.

Several hours later, Bruce has evaded all his pursuers and been picked up by Alfred. Alfred rushes him back to cave. Once there Faith assists Alfred as the remove all the shrapnel from Bruce. Faith is amazed Bruce made it with all this damage. She is not sure even she could have stayed on her feet even with her slayer healing.

"He is stable. Now rest is what he needs." Alfred announces as he sets an IV on Bruce's unconscious form.

By the time Alfred found Bruce, Bruce wasn't making much sense. He did catch that Riley set them up. News of which results in Faith throwing things and mumbling about how "B sure can pick them." Without any hard evidence, there is nothing they can do but eat and get some rest themselves. It is over breakfast that they see the news. It is on all the channels. The military is taking credit for killing the Batman. There is footage from helicopters flying over the burning wreckage of the Batmobile. A Major Thurston is claiming the army on orders from the governor set a trap for the rough vigilant Batman. His report states that several soldiers were injured in the process, but luckily there were no fatalities. Stunned Alfred and Faith can only numbly finish eating while trying to process this news.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Two days later, Gotham is gripped in a feeding frenzy as everyone scrambles to confirm what the army is claiming is true. Is Batman dead? The army's story took a bit of a hit when rumors started circulating that no body was recovered. Adding to the Army's troubles is the fact many are questioning the level of firepower used in a remote, but still civilian area. Also, the governor claiming he didn't authorize the operation has raised more questions. Questions the Army has yet to answer.

Trying to keep the city from slipping into complete chaos, the mayor ordered Commissioner Gordon to give a speech to reassure everyone that Gotham is still in good hands with or without the Batman. Commissioner Gordon has no idea what to say, but he knows his duty so he arranges the press conference anyways. "Is it true?" shout several reporters as Commissioner Gordon approaches the podium still trying to figure out what to say. He spent most of last night on the roof with the signal, but there was no response. "_It just might be true. Batman maybe dead." _Gordon thinks while in his heart still not believing it.

Faith feels like an idiot in the costume but she owes him so she leaps dramatically onto a ledge over looking the press conference. She spreads the cape wide so it casts a large shadow over the crowd. She does admit to enjoying how everyone stops talking and just stares up at her. It is a new kind of power. For the first time she truly gets why Bruce wears the suit. She stands there for a few minutes doing her best to look all dark and dramatic before jumping off the ledge. She is proud she represses the scream that tries to escape in the seconds it takes for the cape to catch the wind. Even though it is terrifying, it is also very cool gliding over the city. She sees several people stop and stare up as she glides over head. Luckily none of them see her land on the Wayne Enterprises rooftop, or Batman's reputation would be destroyed forever. It takes her several minutes to untangle herself from the cape and the roof antennas she collided with. Still, she thinks she pulled it off. Bats rep should be safe until Bruce has healed.

Even Bruce had to admit his injuries will require a few days rest at least. Still, he was hard at work in front of his computer when she suited up for this mission. She is terrified at what Riley must be doing to Giles, but she shoves those thoughts aside. She will find Giles, and then Riley will pay.

A scream grabs her attention and without thinking, she runs to the edge of the roof and dives off. Gliding a few buildings over, she lands near the source of the scream. A blonde woman is running down an alley perused by several large men. Something about the way they move tugs at her memory, but she doesn't waste time pondering. She jumps down on top of the lead guy, driving him face first into the pavement. She then launches herself forward and into the chest of the second guy. He goes down with a grunt as she knocks the air from his lungs. The remaining two men pull up and assume fighting stances. Not wanting to lose control of this fight, Faith throw a spin kick at one of the two but pulls it short to throw a punch at the other as he tried to take advantage of the situation. A few blows later and Faith makes short work of them.

As she is tying up the men, the blonde says "Thanks for the save."

Not sure what to say, Faith goes with mysterious and says nothing but fires her grapple so she is pulled up and away.

"_Damn, I was hoping for a long chat! I am going to need his help and he will need mine. How am I going to attract his attention without alerting Oliver I am in town?"_ Chloe wonders as she rifles through the pockets of the men Batman took out for her. As she thought, they are black ops, as they have no id. She can't believe Oliver has taken things this far but she will save him. She will make him see this is not worth the cost.

Faith is really getting into being Batman. The look of fear in those guys' eyes is dangerously intoxicating. Her esteem for Bruce grows even more knowing he manages to resist temptation every time he puts on the suit and stay on right side of the line. After stopping a few minor robbers and muggers, she heads back to the secret tunnel. Climbing down the ladder, she is back in the abandon subway tunnel where a less tank like Batmobile waits for her. "_He seems to collect these like kids collect matchboxes_." she muses as she revives the engine and races down the tunnel. It maybe a funny looking car, but it is fun to drive. Nothing she has driven before had this kind of power or control. The navigation system even keeps her from getting lost in the maze of tunnels hidden beneath Gotham.

As she pulls into the Batcave, she is surprised to see a tall well muscled twenty something guy talking to Bruce. The guy wears a black suit with dark blue highlights. When he glances towards her, she catches a glimpse of a blue symbol on his chest but can't tell what it is. "Company?" she inquires as she makes her way up to them.

"How did it go?" Bruce asks ignoring her question.

The young man laughs as he comments "Same old Bruce. I am Dick Grayson. Also, known as Nightwing." while offering his hand.

Shaking it, she is impressed at his grip, but she still makes him let go first. He is strong but can't match her slayer strength. She feels a bit competitive with him even though they just met. She tries to push those feelings aside but only partially succeeds.

"With me out of action, I called Dick for some short term help. Now, how did it go?" Bruce demands.

"I think they bought it. Everyone was properly wowed." Faith says with more than a bit of pride. "One thing though. Some military boys tried to grab a blonde (thinks for a minute) Chloe I think she said her name was."

"You just left her?" Bruce inquires.

Suddenly feeling guilty, Faith quips "Hey I was trying to be mysterious. It was my first time out. I was winging it."

Dick laughs again "Winging it. Funny. I like her."

Annoyed Faith turns on him "Look I am new to all this superhero dress up, so back off before I hurt you."

"I would like to see you try. It could be fun to see which if us winds up on top." Dick snarks. His grin leaves no doubt as to his true meaning.

Much to her surprise, Faith finds a blush creeping to her checks. "_What the hell? It is not like am I remotely virginal. Why is he having this effect on me? He is not even my type. Stupid do gooder pretty boy." _she wonders. The part of her that argues that a masked crime fighter is the best of the bad boy type she does like, but she ignores it.

"Practice will have to wait. I know you have been out all night but I have a lead on Giles. He is at the facility we bugged. Are you up for an extraction?" Bruce asks her.

"Five by five." is her reply.

"Good, Nightwing will be lead. Follow his instructions exactly." Bruce instructs.

Seeing thoughts forming in his eyes, Faith quips "One word bird boy and you'll be lying on your back."

"Promises, promises." he snarks back. Dick is enjoying torment the new girl, but he is surprised at his own comments. He is normally more reserved and certain not so aggressive. Something about her brings out the caveman in him. He is not concerned, because the look in her eyes leads him to believe she likes his comments.

Chloe can't believe she is about to try and break into a government facility all on her own. Unfortunately, Oliver didn't leave her much choice. She can't risk bring in any of the League as they would either tip off Oliver or confront him. Neither option would end well. She has to do this herself. It is her only chance to save Oliver from himself. Thanks to her hacking skills, she managed to set up a series of gaps in their security net but she has to stay on schedule. She finds the grate that is her entrance point but the rusted bolts take longer than she planned for to off. Putting the grate aside, she just manages to make her window. Crawling through the ducts she does her best to make her way to the server room. She is hoping there she will find what she needs to end this madness.

"Stop." Nightwing instructs in a whisper as he grabs Faith's arm. He pulls her down next to him. Pointing he shows her a person approaching. The person is trying to be stealthy, but is clearly not trained.

"Hey, that is the girl from the alley." Faith whispers as they watch Chloe proceed to open a grate, and head into the base.

"Interesting." Nightwing comments.

"Just when does he start teaching the whole man of mystery bit?" Faith quips earning a quiet chuckle from Dick.

They had planned on entering the base a different way, but decide to follow Chloe. It is easy for them to ghost after her. Dick is impressed at how thorough Chloe is in her efforts to breach security.

Chloe is doing her best not to panic as she makes her way deeper into the base. She knows something is in the vents with her, but so far it has avoided her. With nothing else to do, she has just kept going. She breathes a huge sigh of relief when she reaches the server room but a cold chill ruins her moment of triumph as the realization her shadow may just be waiting to see what she does before striking. Oliver is worth the risk, or at least he used to be so she gets right to work hacking the mainframe. It is child's play for her to break into the system from in here. In a few minutes she has the evidence she needs to prove what Oliver and the Army have been up to. Oliver has combined several of Lex's old super soldier projects into a new one: Slayer Mark II. She knows he is just trying to find a way to fight Doomsday level threats, but that doesn't make him right.

As Chloe is unplugging from the network an alarm suddenly sounds. She realizes instantly her mistake. She had bypass the system so it wouldn't detect knew equipment plugging in but never dreamed anyone would set the system to detect equipment being removed from the systems. Kicking herself for underestimating them, she frantically tries to get back into the duct but the server door bursts open before she can. Several armed men enter the room and order her to freeze. Realizing they will shoot her, Chloe freezes. They cuff her and take her not to a cell but an office. "As you expected sir, she is here. No, she is unharmed. We will await your arrival." she hears one of her captors saying into his phone.

Oliver expected her. "_So I did tip my hand too much last time_." Chloe realizes as she remembers the argument. At the time, she thought this project was an old one of Lex's. She was stunned to learn Oliver is pushing it. She thought he learned his lesson from his last experimental serum back when he was dating Lois. She knew he blamed himself for what happened to Bart in the battle with Doomsday, but she didn't think he would go so far. Bart will be down for a few months as his legs heal, but they will heal. Bart was loving the attention the private nurses Oliver hired were giving him last time she checked on him. She will make him see reason. Her attention is drawn to the vent in the room because something small and round just dropped out of it. In seconds the room is filling with gas/smoke. Covering her mouth Chloe drops to the floor trying to find clear air. Her captors foolishly head over to the grate as they draw weapons. Batman and another figure drop from the ceiling behind the men. Batman looks odd but the gas is making it hard for Chloe to focus. As her eyes glaze over it dawns on her: Batman has breasts!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Faith is psyched that Nightwing suggested they rescue Chloe. She has been itching for action. She does restrain her eagerness and follows the plan. The fact that Nightwing hangs back and lets her beat up the bad guys is something she is grateful for. Unfortunately, thanks to the sleeping gas, they don't put up much of a fight but she will take what she can get.

Meanwhile, Nightwing is reviving Chloe by waving something from his belt under her noise. Coughing Chloe awakens.

"Hi, Chloe Sullivan." she offers to the handsome young hero holding her. Sitting up slowly, she notices Batman tying up the goons who had her even though they are all unconscious. "So you're Batman, or should I say Batwoman?" she quips.

"I am just filling in while Bats takes care of some business." Faith replies. Dick makes a face behind Chloe's back indicating for Faith to not talk but she had to say something right?

"Look we aren't here for you. We have other business. Can you find your own way out?" Nightwing asks.

"I could, but I think I can help. I am not new to the whole hero business. Also, I know the guy behind all this. If you run into him, you will need my help." Chloe explains.

"I don't think that is wise." Nightwing replies.

"If you don't take me, I just might trip the alarm on my way out. That would mess up your mission wouldn't it?" is Chloe's answer to that.

Chuckling "Let her join the party. She has got spunk." Faith quips.

"Fine, but you do what I say." Nightwing agrees. He does want to learn what she knows and it is best to keep her where he can keep an eye on her.

"Why is it whenever one of you guys puts on some leather you think you are in charge?" Chloe snarks.

Trying to keep her voice down, Faith can't help laughing. "Boys and their toys. It goes straight to their head doesn't it." she teases. Her gut says she will like Chloe.

"Ok. You keep watch while I hack in and find our target." Nightwing orders Faith.

"Are you here for the guy they are keeping in section 12?" Chloe inquires.

"His name is Giles and he is a friend we are here to rescue." Faith states.

"An older English guy?" Chloe asks.

"That's him." Faith confirms.

"I noticed his cell because of all the security they have around it. They have multilayer sensors, booby traps, and a whole lot of guards around this guy." Chloe details.

"Trap. It's a trap for her and Batman." Nightwing realizes. "They knew you would come after him. That means they probably know we are here." He continues.

"We can't leave him. We have to get him out." Faith declares.

"Don't worry. We will. This will just take some more planning. These guys will be missed soon so we'll have to move fast. Here is the plan." Nightwing explains as he shows them what he wants each to do on the map he brought.

Chloe is nervous but does her best to hide it as she saunters into the highly restricted area. "Hey, you know where the ladies room is?" she asks in her best clueless innocent voice.

One of the guards runs over to her as the other covers her with his gun. "What are you doing here? How did you get in here? This area is restricted." the guards demands to know.

"I don't know. I came to see my boyfriend, Ollie and I got lost." she replies while feigning fear and innocent as hard as she can. As she hoped, the mention of Oliver's name causes them to pause. They know who he is and are now unsure what to do.

"Let me show you the way." the guard offers while signaling his partner to call this in. These guys are good.

"Thank you." Chloe replies then fakes a sneeze giving her the distraction she needs to pull her a tissue from her pocket. "All the dust in this place is just killing me." she quips with a giggle. The distracted guard never notices the item she palmed from her pocket until she breaks it open on her shirt. "What? No!" she screams as she grabs the guard pulling herself close. The poor guy is confused and then horrified to see blood all over her dress.

His partner closes asking "What the hell did you just do? Don't mess with the boss's girl!"

"I swear I didn't touch her." the guy tells his partner despite all the blood on his hands.

Chloe plays her part by dramatically sliding down to the floor and pretends to be dying. It is funny having died several times makes it easy for her to fake dying very believably.

"Oh crap." the first guard says as he kneels next to Chloe to try and figure out what is wrong.

As planned, this commotion has drawn the attention of the men behind the large blast door. It opens to let the guards' commanding officer out so he can investigate what the hell is going on. As soon as the door is open, Faith and Dick go into action. They throw several gas, flash, and smoke pellets into the room as they sweep down from their hiding spots on the ceiling. The guard kneeling next to Chloe turns his head at the commotion, so he doesn't see Chloe pull a Taser from her pocket. She jolts him unconscious. His partner tries to bring his weapon to bear on her, but is knocked off his feet by a kick from behind. Faith nods briefly to Chloe before turning her attention back to the fight. Not one to be left out, Chloe gets to her feet to help, but the fight is over by then. Nightwing is dragging the unconscious guards to one side of the room.

"Ok, time for part two." he instructs. Bracing himself, he puts his hands together so Faith can vault off them. She flies across a section of floor they know is booby-trapped to land more or less gracefully on the far side. Finding the control panel, she slides the officer's ID card through it and shuts the system down.

"It's safe." she shouts.

"Let me go first, just in case." Nigthwing tells Chloe. He crosses the room safely and then signals for Chloe to follow.

They find Giles' cell easy enough. Faith rushes in anxiously checking Giles over. "I thought I told you to stay out of trouble." she quips earning a feeble laugh, and smirk from him.

Elsewhere:

"She is here sir, but she brought company. They breached containment and have acquired our guest. What would you like us to do?" his man asks.

Oliver studies the monitor for a long minute before answering "Release subject 23. I am curious to see how it fairs."

"Yes sir." the man replies.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Half way out, alarms sound and blast panel slide down trapping them. With no reason to stay in the ventilation system any longer, Nightwing leads them into a large room to figure their next step. A quick review of the security information they hacked earlier reveals they are trapped good. Blast panels seal ever exit. With little other choice, Dick activates plan B. He knows Bruce will be disappointed and angry he had to resort to plan B, but he sees no other option. Sending a hyperpulse signal that not even all the steel and concrete in this place can block, he triggers an autnav program in the Batjet. It swoops in towards the base, priming its main weapons as it approaches.

The group tenses when one of the blast doors sealing them in slides open. Faith cautiously approaches the door Batarang in hand. She recoils in horror as she witnesses Buffy stumbling into view. A metal plate with wires and lights juts from Buffy's forehead. "My god!! They lobotomized her!!" her mind screams. Unsure of how to react she backs up slowly. "Uh we have a problem. They did something to my girlfriend here. I don't want to hurt, but she doesn't look like she is here to hang." Faith remarks.

Sure enough the adjusted Buffy darts forward taking a swing at Faith. Luckily, this Buffy telegraphed her attack so Faith has time to avoid it. Faith knows they can only dance like this for so long, before she will be forced to do something she will hate herself for. Buffy may not be her best bud but she did help her. Faith owes her. "Ideas" she calls out.

Studying their new foe closely Dick devises a plan. "Move 4" he shouts to Faith.

Recognizing the move, she back flips away from Buffy just as Nightwing hits Buffy with a sleep gas bomb. The gas appears to have little effect. Sensing a new target Buffy charges Nightwing. Giles having recovered enough to realize what is going on shouts "Buffy stop!" She doesn't even acknowledge his words. However, Nigthwing isn't concerned. While Buffy is strong and fast, she is not subtle. She is telegraphing all her attacks giving him the advantage he needs to keep out of her grip. He tries tying her in a Batnet. It holds her for a few seconds but then she rips it apart. Before she can advance again, Faith plants a solid kick knocking Buffy off her feet. She slams into the far wall and slides down. A moment later she is getting back to her feet.

Before anyone can act a beep on Nigthwing's wrist announces the arrival of the Bat jet followed by a series of explosions as the plane's weapons cut into the base. A large section of the ceiling collapse onto Buffy crushing and probably killing her.

"No!" Giles and Faith scream. They both rush forward in the hopes of doing something but there is too much concrete.

"Time to go." Nightwing orders. "Move!" he commands.

Chloe makes her way to the cable the jet has lowered while sadly watching Faith and Giles try to dig into the rubble.

"We have to go!" Nightwing orders once again.

"I am not leaving her!" Faith cries.

"You have too. You can't help her." Nightwing tells her.

Bullets start echoing around them as the surviving guards start firing on them. Nightwing throws the rest of his pellets providing some cover and distraction. "We ARE LEAVING NOW!" he orders grabbing Giles and tying the cable to him. Already weak and now emotionally devastated he is unable to fight Dick off. He desperately grabs at the stones as he dragged up into the hovering jet.

Dick then grabs Faith and tries to pull her away from the rubble. She is stronger than he is so he isn't able too, but he does get her attention. "We have too." he says suddenly tenderly.

Crying Faith nods and lets him pull them both up into the jet. The jet then blasts away.

"Damn!" Oliver curses as he slams his fist on his desk. "So much for our test."

"I am evacuating the men and salvaging what gear we can but the damage is extensive. Initial estimates are we lost 80% of the project data." his second tells him.

"Get me Finn." Oliver orders.

On the flight back to the cave, Faith tries to comfort Giles "It has to be a trick. Buffy would never let herself get captured. We'd know if like she had been. She is fine."

Too tired and worn to reply, he just gives her his patented "really" look. He then hangs his head trying to figure out how to tell the rest of the gang. He doesn't even know if Buffy has a will. So much left to do.

At the cave, Giles makes the hardest phone call of his life which considering he is a watcher who has done some tough stuff is saying something. He almost drops the phone when a voice he never expected to hear again answers "Hi Giles. What's up?"

"Buffy?" he inquires desperately hoping.

"Uh ya. What's up Giles you're starting to freak me out. Faith take you clubbing again?" Buffy replies.

Trying not to squirm when he remembers the hangover he had, not to mention the fountain he found himself in the one and only time he had gone partying with Faith, he answers "Sorry, I just didn't think you were home. Is Willow or Xander around?"

"Hold on. Will Giles needs you." he hears her call.

"Hey Giles. What'd you need?" Willow asks.

"Is Buffy really Buffy?" he asks.

"She looks like Buffy" Willow quips.

"Are you sure it's really her!" Giles demands.

"Relax. I am sure. Why? What is going on?" Willow answers

"Check." Giles orders.

"Fine. Hold on." Willow replies, rolls her eyes as she magically scans Buffy.

"Yep, really her. Now spill. What's going on? Did Faith try and steal Buffy's body again? I thought she was past all that." Willow replies.

"We just encountered something that looked like Buffy. I just needed to be sure she was ok." Giles answers then hangs up. He knows Willow and Buffy will have more questions but he doesn't want to answer them just yet. A horrifying theory is forming in his mind and needs to check it out.

"Clones that is what they are up to." Giles announces after reviewing Batman's and his research.

"That's not right" Chloe pipes in. "I know Oliver. I know what drove him to this. He isn't trying to make clones. He is trying to find a way to save his friends. A year ago, Oliver was leading a team of special people. They were shutting down monster labs that Lex Luthor had created. It is the reason Oliver bought Lex Corp. Well, a mission went horribly wrong. Several members of the team where critically hurt. One lost the use of his legs, another an arm, and the last. She is still in a coma. Oliver however, barely had a scratch on him. He blames himself for what happened to them and set about finding a way to reverse it. He is driven to save them, particularly, her. He got into bed with an elite military unit that hunts monsters. They had samples of your friend whose healing ability they are trying to replicate. The clone must be for the military. Oliver is only interested in the healing technology. Sadly, he has gone mad. (She shudders as she remembers the experiments he had performed on her trying to restore her healing ability) He has done things I never thought he was capable of in his quest."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

This project is a disaster!" screams the general. "I have the press hounding me about that mess in the dessert, another base up in smoke, no prototype, and a band of terrorists walking all over my supposed elite unit!"

"Calm yourself." Oliver remarks. "The prototype's test was successful. It proved more than a match for your terrorists. They had to drop the building on it to stop it. Best of all it's not a total loss. My team thinks with the new process we have developed it will back on its feet in a few weeks. Think! Damage to 75% of its body fully repaired in a few weeks. I will admit it is not the healing rate I'm striving for, but it is a huge leap forward. You will be the general who not only adds an impressive new substitute for human troops, but also the general who can give those same troops back their lost limbs. You will be a hero able to write your own ticket. You just have to be patient a bit longer."

Images of parades in his honor dance through the general's mind along with images of never having to tell parents their son or daughter died or worse yet is a shell of who they used to be. "Fine. We keep going for now but we need to tighten things up. Riley, I want these terrorists shut down."

"Already working on it. The rescue of Giles was actually part of my plan. We coated him with a slightly radioactive material which we are using to track his rescuers. I think you will find where they went to be very interesting." Riley explains as he points to a blinking dot just outside of Gotham.

As Faith helps Giles into the cave medical scanner ignoring his muttering about being fine, Dick is taking Chloe to see Bruce for a thorough debriefing. Faith will get the short not as boring version after she makes sure Giles is going to be ok. The machine runs its scan showing mostly minor injuries. It does detect a faint amount of radioactivity. Pressing the intercom, she calls up to the level Bruce is meeting with Chloe on "Hey, boss man the machine found something odd. Giles is slightly radioactive. Any idea why they would microwave him?"

"Go to full alert. Everyone to the war room." Bruce orders as he drags his still damaged body to the room while stubbornly pushing away the help Dick offers. He triggers a system sealing the cave and activating all its defenses. "I suspect we've been setup. The only reason for Giles to be radioactive is so that they can track him. I bet they are on their way here right now. Here is what we are going to do."

Riley insisted on leading this team against Oliver's protests. Riley knows all to well just how dangerous a slayer can be. He can't ask his men to face Faith without he himself being there. Besides he is itching to try himself against a slayer again. His improvements thanks to Oliver should even the playing field nicely.

Riley's scouts tell him the mansion is empty but scans show something underneath. The sensors can't penetrate the walls of the hidden structure but the interference does give them a rough shape to go by. He is glad he brought amphibious units as well as his ground forces as it appears there is a sea cave which would lead right to the hidden area. His forces spread out tracking down several hidden entrances to the space but he holds them from breaching just yet. He has them check several times, before he is satisfied they have found all the secret doors. Realizing stealth is pointless; he orders 4 teams to breach at the same time as to overwhelm their prey. His perimeter teams he orders to use blasting charges to seal all the entrance they are not breaching. This should add to the confusion and give his breaching teams an edge.

The hanger's hidden rooftop door blows open. The hinged doors swing down and into the cave falling to either side of the Batjet. Team 2 repels into the cave with weapons at the ready. They land on the landing pad without resistance. The other teams report similar lack of resistance. Concerned his prey has eluded him, Riley orders more teams into the cave to search every square inch. He goes over to his mobile command center to review his maps to see if they missed anything or if their prey left before they arrived.

The troops in the cave are surprised when the holes they made are resealed by secondary doors. A high pitch ultra sonic noise fills their mikes while mega bright strobes flash on and off. This high tech assault renders them all too disoriented to react effectively to the gas pumped into the cave. In moments everyone in the cave is paralyzed on the floor. A few men fall to their deaths as they stumble about. Others are cut down, but their comrades firing blindly trying to escape. Alfred calmly mans the cave's defenses not showing the pain he feels for the lives lost. "Such a waste." he mutters. He is comforted by the fact most of the men will live.

"Now." Bruce signals with sign language and silent figures go into action. Sealed in the control room, Chloe, Giles, and Alfred watch in awe as Bruce, Dick, and Faith ambush and subdue the remaining surface troops who while not blinded are suffering from the ultra sonic sound being pumped through their headsets. Highly trained special forces soldiers go down in seconds without firing a shot. Despite his injuries Bruce is leading the group in terms of take downs.

Riley's head snaps up as he sees his technicians rip off their headsets as a high frequency sound pours out of the headsets. "It begins." he happily announces and jumps out of his command vehicle. He can see the shadows of his men spread about but there are far fewer men than he thought possible. The remainder are shaken from the sonic attack but have managed to regroup around the command vehicle. Watching as shadows consume more of their comrades brings the fear they are feeling to the surface. Despite the risk of hitting their comrades several fire into the darkness hoping to end the threat.

"Hold your fire. You're just wasting ammunition. They will be coming for us soon enough" Riley orders.

"Shouldn't we retreat?" one of his men asks.

"If we don't win this we are all dead. This way if we lose we will just have to go to jail." Riley answers.

It is not long before several flash and smoke bombs land around provoking more panic fire but hitting nothing. A few more men disappear in the chaos. The only ones still standing have their backs to the command vehicle.

"Come out, come out." Riley taunts. He realizes he has lost this battle but he won't be robbed of his chance to fight Faith. He knows she will want a shot at him after the Buffy clone incident. "Come on Faith. Don't you want to know about all the fun I had with my new little toy. My new Buffy does whatever I want whenever I want her too."

Clamping her hands into fists so hard her arms are shaking Faith just barely manages to keep herself from charging Riley. She knows that is what Riley wants and she forces herself to stick to the plan.

When the men on either side of Riley are sudden yanked up on top of the command vehicle's roof, he has to admit Batman has earned his reputation. He doesn't blame his few remaining men who run for it. Even he is a bit afraid of him at this point. Doing his best not to show it, he looks up and asks "Is Faith up there? I was so hoping she could play again. She was so much fun the first time. I'm dying to see what she can do in her own body."

Bruce ignores Riley's taunt and puts a restraining hand on Dick. Focus on finishing his men he signals. Reluctantly Dick signals his agreement.

Now all alone Riley sees no point in staying by the vehicle. He strides into the open assault rifle in hand taunting "Faith, oh Faith, where are you?" A grapple line shooting out of the darkness ripping his rifle away answers him. "Neat trick. Now that I am unarmed you can step out of the shadows. Come on. I am just dying to feel your hands on me since you used Buffy's body the first time."

Faith launches herself high into the air and flips in front of Riley. "It is over." she states coldly.

"We'll see Riley" answers as he suddenly snakes forward inhumanly fast. His blow catches her on her chest plate knocking her off her feet and leaving her gasping for breath. Circling Riley goes for a kick which Faith tries to block, but he has too much inhuman power behind it. Thee blow sends her rolling several feet away. This gives her a moment to collect herself as he strides over to her.

Since raw power clearly won't win this fight, Faith falls back on the training Bruce has given. Now prepared, she can roll with Riley's next attack. He still clips her jaw causing her to see stars for a second, but not enough to do serious damage. She even manages to throw a kick into his ribs as her head is snapping back. She then dances around behind him and kicks the back of his knee. The knee holds but Riley is now limping. Not letting up, Faith launches a series of attacks. Her slayer powered punches are even more damaging when she activates the steel knuckles in her gauntlets. She is pleased to see his head snapping back from her blows. Riley is getting angrier and angrier. He does land a few good blows and she knows more than a few ribs are broken, but she isn't letting up.

Bruce watches the fight ready to help while Dick finishes wrapping up the soldiers. Chloe, Giles, and Alfred are dealing with the unconscious men in the cave.

"Come on Riley. You were a bit of a disappointment the first time. I was hoping you could last longer this time." Faith taunts.

"You slayer bitches thing you're so special! That you can do whatever you want! I say NO!" Riley screams completely losing it. His berserk charge catches Faith and it looks like he will pin her under him. She avoids being trapped by rolling with the charge and flipping Riley over her. Her enhanced strength pitches him several feet into a nearby tree. The crunch of bone announces Riley connecting with the tree trunk.

Staggering to his feet he turns to Faith who recoils a bit when she sees his arm dangling from his broken shoulder. "It's over." she pleads.

"Not yet." Riley answers. With his other hand he shoves his shoulder back into place and it reforms before Faith's eyes. "See you aren't the only one who is special." Steel blades then pop from his forearms. Screaming he charges again. Faith sadly raises her arm and fires the grapple in her hand straight into Riley's head. This close the grapple is like a mini cannon ball. Riley's head snaps back and he is lifted off his feet. He lands hard and slides to a stop at her feet. Not willing to risk him getting up again, she jabs him with a couple of the sleeping darts Bats used on her and his dog.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Thanks to Giles' friend Willow, Riley and his men won't remember a thing about his true identity. She even healed the worst of everyone's injuries. There is a ton of damage at the manor to take care of, but Bruce isn't worried about that. He has reliable people to take care of that. No, it is Oliver Queen that troubles him. Finding out Oliver is the Green Arrow wasn't much of a shock, but seeing what being Green Arrow drove Oliver too has chilled Bruce to the core. He walks an all too similar tight rope. He came close to becoming Oliver several times. Come tomorrow midnight he'll take Oliver down one way or the other.

"You're not him." Alfred offers reading his employer's mind as usual.

"But I could be." Bruce answers as he broods leaning over his workbench in the cave.

"No you couldn't." Alfred answers.

Looking at his butler surrogate father and his only family, Bruce feels very lucky to have Alfred. Without Alfred he would be dead or far worse than Oliver Queen. Putting a comforting hand on Alfred's shoulder is as close to thanks as Bruce can vocalize, but Alfred gets the message.

"We have to finish this before they can regroup. If we hit hard now, the government will back off and this whole project will be shut down." Bruce explains to everyone else.

"With the destruction of their main base, the only place the files are is on Oliver's Queen Industries servers. I can hack in and delete all the online versions, but there will hard copies and back-ups. That means someone has to go in." Chloe puts in as she pulls up a blue print of Oliver's building.

"Faith and I can handle those." Dick offers.

"What makes you think I want you tagging along?" Faith quips to which Dick just smirks.

"What about Oliver?" Chloe asks afraid of the answer.

"I'll deal with him." Bruce answers.

"Please don't kill him. He's just misguided by his grief." she pleads.

"I'll do what is necessary to stop him, beyond that I can make no promises." Bruce coldly replies.

"Don't worry. Bats will make him see the light." Faith remarks.

Oliver does something he hasn't done for the better part of a year, he dons his Green Arrow costume. He realized when his perimeter security flickered that Chloe was hacking in to finish things. She knows he has hard copies and back-ups so some of her new friends will be paying him a visit. "I made my choices and will see this to the end." Oliver muses. Drawing his bow, he settles himself into an ambush spot taking aim on his windows.

With Chloe guiding them, they easily make their way through the building's ducts to the server room. They plant some EMP charges to fry the servers and the backups. Next they wait until Chloe triggers the fire alarm. Once the few people in the building at this time of night have left, Faith and Dick make their way to the records room where they plant incendiary charges to take of the files. The charges will limit the fire to this room. Now, for the hard part.

Making her way to the bioweapons lab they enter to find a few personnel still watching over the sleeping Buffy clone/monster. While Nightwing deals with the staff, she makes her way to the creature's chamber. With a heavy heart, she shuts down the life support systems and watches as the creature twitches and then dies. Thankfully it never woke up. Faith runs her hand over the creature's chamber as she whispers "I'm sorry. You didn't ask for any of this."

"Good plan, but you picked the wrong spot." a voice behind Oliver says.

"Oh I don't know about that." he quips with a smirk as he dives forward and releases the arrow he is holding into the floor. Even prepared for it, the resulting flash partially blinds him. Still he knows were his enemy is. Reversing direction he has another arrow notched and loose in a second. Against another opponent it would be fast enough but not against Batman. Oliver's arrow strikes the far wall.

Saved from the blinding flash by his special built in eye filters, Bruce moves to the left of where Oliver was as he angles in to attack. He doesn't bother to knock the bow from Oliver's hands. Instead he goes for Oliver's body forcing Oliver to drop the bow in order to protect himself. Slowed by the bow in his hands Oliver can't manage to block the first blow but he recovers quickly. He and Batman trade blows for several minutes. Oliver realizes he can't match Batman's fighting prowess. However, the fact he has nothing left to lose frees him to push himself well beyond his normal limits. This raw ferocity is actually letting drive Batman back. It isn't enough though. All too soon Oliver finds his breathe becoming more ragged as fatigue weighs down his limbs. His rage is nearly spent. It is now that Batman presses his attack. He relentlessly pummels Oliver until Oliver collapses on the carpets.

"It's over." Batman announces.

"No, I won't stop till I find the answer. I am so close. I could have the answer by now if you hadn't interfered." Oliver fires back. His guilt and despair nearly overwhelm him as he thinks of her forever trapped in her comma.

"The price is too high." Bruce answers.

"Really? Can you say for certain you wouldn't do what I have to save someone you care for Bruce?" Oliver taunts.

"I can't, but I know my friends would stop me just like yours are trying to stop you. We walk the line. We don't cross it." Bruce replies not at all surprised Oliver knows who he is. He makes a mental note to see if Willow can figure out who learned his secret and can erase their memories as well. A useful ability, but dangerous if abused.

"I've made my choice." Oliver says as he struggles to his feet. "There is only one way you can end this." he adds.

"You don't get off that easy." Bruce answers as he knocks out several of Oliver's teeth as he knocks Oliver unconscious.

Outside the holding cell, Chloe peers in at her former boss. She knows it will be a long haul but once she has him transferred to Smallville she is sure she can save him from himself.

"Your father would be proud of you." Alfred tells Giles as they sit off to the side just watching.

Emotion unusually clear on his face Giles replies "Thanks."

Thanks to some magic Bruce's secret is safe once more. Still Bruce broods over just how easy it would be for him to cross the line just like Oliver did. "Not today anyway." he reminds himself as he watches his former ward splash his current ward in the pool.

Faith is soaked from Dick's cannon ball. Determined to get even she chases him around the pool until she can catch him. She dunks Dick under the water, but worries for a second when he doesn't pop right back up. She reaches under and pulls him to the surface concerned to see he is not breathing. Dragging him to the pool's edge, she shoves him out of the pool. She then leans over him to give him mouth to mouth. As she starts she hears his heart beat pick up sharply, but she doesn't care as the kiss deepens. She isn't sure wearing tights is for her, but there are some perks.


End file.
